


Feel of Home

by Katrina, Skeren



Series: Never Speak It [2]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Conditioned Reactions, Confused Children, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Psychological Trauma, Shota
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 12:00:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3208391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrina/pseuds/Katrina, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeren/pseuds/Skeren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their second meeting, Cloud and Sephiroth say goodbye for a long while, but very unsettling impressions are set in stone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of the Never Speak it series. It was supposed to be the story that proceeded a launch to them in Shinra together, but never got farther. Originally posted on March 3rd, 2007.

Humming to himself as he watched the woods around him, Cloud sat in the tree, swinging his legs as he held onto the basket in his lap. His mom had smiled lots when he told her he had made a friend, and just patted him on the head. Somehow, he wasn’t sure if she believed him or not, but she had made him baskets when he had asked. Now he had yummy things to eat with Sephiroth, whenever he showed up again. Cloud hoped he would. He thought the older boy was going to, even if he hadn’t come the last few days, he was _sure_ that he would show up soon.

Sephiroth, meanwhile, was making his way towards the place he had met the blond child last he'd seen him, though he did harbor serious doubts that the boy would still be there. He remembered being easily distracted when he had been that small. Feeling tired, the last of the newest testing had just been finished, they had allowed him go outside provided he could walk. Having pocketed a few things before leaving, he did move fairly quickly. Even if he didn’t think Cloud was going to be there, it didn’t stop him from moving that direction, just in case.

Cloud was the one that spotted the other first, perking up and grinning, leaning so he could bounce just a bit on the branch he was using as a perch. “You came back!” He cheered, almost losing the basket in his excitement. He had hoped really, really hard. And he had come back!

Blinking at the commotion from above, the silver haired boy padded over to the smaller one and looked up at him for a moment before hopping up so he could sit next to him. “I said I would try.” He calmly studied the boy, trying to put together why he would have such a large basket.

Still grinning brightly, Cloud offered it. “My mom cooked for us,” he said proudly. His mom was a really good cook, so he knew there were yummy things in there. He had eaten a little the last few days when he had come with baskets, but tried really hard not to, since he wanted to share. When Sephiroth hadn’t shown up, he had gone home and shared with him mom. But now Sephiroth was here, and he could share the yummy things with him.

After a moment of staring at the basket in confusion, Sephiroth finally took it and looked inside. “Why?” It was clear he was trying to puzzle out why the boy’s mother would do such a thing for him.

“Cause she cooks really good, and I thought you might like it.” He paused, and fidgeting a bit. Had he done the wrong thing? Being a friend was a new thing, and he wasn’t sure if he was doing it right. Shyly looking at Sephiroth, he continued. “That was okay, right?” He didn’t want to drive him away.

A long moment of pause followed. “Yes. Yes it was.” Sephiroth poked inside the basket for a moment after settling it on his lap, then took out one of the wrapped items, slowly poking at it a moment before deciding to unwrap it a little bit. As he did, Cloud leaned a bit so he could see. He knew that his mom had been baking little sweet things, though he had been really good and not eaten them before, just eating the sandwiches he just _knew_ that she had also stuck in there.

The green eyed one of the two was puzzled as he stared at the thing in his hands. He had gotten something, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Even unwrapped, he stared at it. Some type of flaky crust thing with filling?

Cloud bounced a bit. Oooh, a tart. Stretching out, he snagged one from the basket himself, then hopped off the branch to sit on the ground, since he had almost fallen, and he didn’t want to fall before he got to eat. Once he was settled, he took a big bite of the tart, smiling happy.

Following the boy so he could settle next to him again, Sephiroth continued to study the item, looking at it a bit before glancing sideways. Noting Cloud’s evident approval of whatever the strange thing was, he eyed it more, trying to decide if it was something he should eat or not.

He hadn’t been unnoticed. “It’s good, really,” Cloud said, trying to reassure. He wanted to share good things with Sephiroth, and tarts were really, really good. Messy, but really yummy.

Only hesitating a little more, Sephiroth took a very cautious nibble of it. “But what is it?" He was waiting for an answer, taking his time at actually getting any in his mouth.

“Tart,” Cloud said promptly, his mouth full of his own tart. His was apple, and the boy was a very happy camper. He loved apples, and he wondered if Sephiroth had gotten an apple one, too.

A wary look. “Is that what it is called, or what it is supposed to taste like?” He shifted his hold on it to make sure he kept from getting crumbs all over like Cloud was, still nibbling. He paused when he hit the filling, eyeing it again.

“Name,” Cloud told him promptly, pausing a moment before finishing his own treat up, eyes bright as he watched Sephiroth. It was kinda funny watching him eat, though he wouldn’t ever call Sephiroth funny, but watching him eat kinda was.

Finally, he started to nibble a little more, taking it slowly as he licked at the filling slightly. That was a flavor he knew, though it was rare and it took a moment from him to place it. Oh, cherry. He was allowed those rarely in the lab, though this didn’t taste just like them. “It’s sweet.” That was the difference.

Cloud nodded, still watching him.

“I’m not usually permitted sweet things,” Sephiroth informed him, licking his fingers a bit as he started nibble more. It was very good, though, and he made no move to actually set it aside.

Eyes wide, Cloud stared at him. “That’s sad,” he said finally. “They’re really yummy.” He couldn’t have sweet things? That sucked.

A nod. “It would interfere with monitoring my performance,” he said softly, finishing off the treat and licking his fingers and palms to get the crumbs. It was very good, and his normal fastidious did not like him being messy in ways such as that.

Oh, wow. That wasn’t nice at all. “You can have my other one,” he offered. His mom would make more, and he knew there were two other things that looked the same in the basket, plus other stuff. And it didn’t sound like Sephiroth got nice things lots, so he would share.

Green eyes glanced sideways, and Sephiroth studied him, then looked into the basket. A moment of study there, and he looked back at Cloud, hands resting on the wicker. “This means you didn’t get in trouble, then?”

It took a minute for Cloud to understand what Sephiroth was talking about, then he shook his head. “No, Mom was happy I made a friend,” he said, smiling brightly at him.

The older boy dipped his head in a slight nod, a tension he had not really been aware of relaxing a fraction as he reached out to pet Cloud’s hair. He opened his mouth to speak, then reconsidered it and brought his hand to rest on the basket again as he looked to see what else was on the inside. “I am glad you were still willing to wait,” he said softly.

Nodding happily, Cloud also moved to look into the basket. “She put lots of stuff in there, I think.

“She did,” Sephiroth confirmed, glancing at Cloud and back at the basket again. “Does she…normally send baskets with you?”

A shrug. “I told her I was going to see my friend, and then I asked for something to share.” Just like he had for the last few days.

Sephiroth blinked at him. “It was that simple?” It didn’t seem like it should be, but... it sounded like it was as Cloud nodded with a “Mmhmm” sound. How odd.

Peering down at the basket, Sephiroth felt an almost yearning for something he couldn’t have. “You are very fortunate.”

Nodding more, Cloud agreed. “I got Mom, and now you’re my friend, so it’s good, right?” He wanted that to be right. He liked Sephiroth being his friend.

Letting out a soft breath, almost a sigh, Sephiroth reached over and petted the spiky hair once more. “Yes,” he said finally. Blinking, the little blond moved and gave him a hug, apparently deciding that he looked like he needed one. The other boy's initial reaction was to blink in turn, still not used to touching like this, and then set the basket to the side so he could draw Cloud into his lap and hold him close, petting his back.

Hugging the other boy as best he could, Cloud almost huffed. Why did he have to be so big? It made it very hard to give him a really good hug when he couldn’t get his arms all the way around him.

Hand still petting Cloud’s hair and neck, Sephiroth wrapped the other arm snug around the boy and held him tight, resting his cheek on him. He did not want to let this go. It…was nice.

Cloud was quite happy to hug quietly for a little bit. However, he was just five, and he wanted to know more about his friend. “Are you having a good day?” he asked finally, thinking that was a very good question. He heard his mom ask it all the time.

“Yes, compared to most,” Sephiroth told him, lifting his head and tilting it so that he could peer at Cloud’s face.

“That’s good,” Cloud said brightly, still trying to hug tight.

Deciding to stop poking at the thoughts running through his head, he turned his full attention on the blond, quirking his lips a tiny bit. “I did not truly expect you to have waited,” he told him finally. It was the truth, and he wanted to share it. It was nice that Cloud had waited.

He got a blink and a “Why not?” for that. The blond looked rather confused on why he would have expected him to leave.

“It has been days,” Sephiroth said, hand sliding to pet his cheek. There were sticky spots there from the sweet thing that Cloud had eaten earlier, and he could feel the tacky sensation. Dipping his head, he started to lap at the sweet spots, working them clean with his tongue.

Wrinkling his nose a little at the licking, but holding still for it, Cloud blinked at him. “But you said you’d try, so I did, too.” He… didn’t have anyone else to play with anyway. If he waited, maybe Sephiroth would come and play again, and he liked Sephiroth a lot more than any of the kids in town. They were all mean pooheads.

Still worrying away at the sticky-sweet spots, Sephiroth was still content that the boy had waited. “I am pleased that you did,” he said softly.

“You’re my friend.” That made everything make sense, as far as Cloud was concerned.

After a few minutes, once the taste of sweet was gone off Cloud’s skin, Sephiroth lifted his head and touched his nose against the boy’s. “A very limited one,” he said, finally. “I could not even assure we would get to speak again.”

That wasn’t right. Friends were always supposed to get to talk again, the only way they wouldn’t was if….

Frowning, Cloud looked at him. “But that’s not fair!”

Confused, he lifted his head and studied the smaller boy, peering closely at him and trying to decipher if that was directed at him or not.

“You’re my friend. You aren’t supposed to go away.” The only time Cloud knew of people who were friends and to stop talking was if one had gone away.

Sephiroth was quiet a moment, then drew him close. “I will not have any choice in that.” It was true, he had no choice in what they did with him, but it did not please him to have to admit to such things.

Hugging as tight as he could, Cloud was not happy at all. “Still not fair,” he said, pouting.

“Fairness is a concept I only have really heard in the passing, Cloud,” Sephiroth said calmly, still petting the boy’s hair softly. “I doubt it will change at any near point in time.” He might like the idea, but he knew better than to wish for it. As it was, all he could do at the moment was to keep petting Cloud, even as the child hugged him tight, pressing his face against his chest. Nuzzling the boy, he purred for him, trying to make him feel better. He had not wanted to make him sad. It seemed that this was the downside of having a friend.

“Isn’t fair,” he mumbled, voice muffled against his chest. Had just gotten his friend, he wasn’t supposed to lose him already. It wasn’t fair at all, and he wanted to cry, but he was a big kid, so he wasn’t gonna cry.

“It,” he hesitated, “it may be a very long time, but you will see me again, eventually. If you remember me.” He wasn’t sure how likely that was, but he did hope Cloud would remember him.

Large, upset eyes looked up at Sephiroth. “Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, not understanding. Why would he forget his friend?

Petting the soft cheek, Sephiroth shook his head slightly. “I forgot things about being here before,” he said, trying to calm the boy, “when I was smaller than you by some. You might not remember by the time I can come back.”

Scowling, a stubborn look settling onto his face, Cloud glared up at him. “No I won’t!” Wasn’t, wasn’t, wasn’t. Sephiroth was _his_ friend, and he wasn’t going to forget him.

A moment of quiet as he took in that look, then he dipped his head to kiss the boy before nuzzling his cheek. That was good. He had not liked the idea of Cloud forgetting him.

Leaning into the attention, Cloud tried to not sniffle. Was a big kid, wasn’t going to cry, but it still wasn’t fair. Didn’t want to lose his friend already.

Oh, he hadn’t wanted this to happen. Petting more, Sephiroth started to press little kisses all over Cloud’s face, remembering how that had made him smile the other day. He wanted Cloud to smile. Hadn’t meant to make him cry. All the kisses got him were a few more sniffles and as tight a hug as someone as small as Cloud could give him.

“I did not intend to make you sad,” he said, petting the blond’s back, nuzzling at him a little.

“It just isn’t fair,” Cloud said, clinging to Sephiroth. He didn’t want to let go, now.

At a bit of a loss, Sephiroth rubbed his back and gave up on the comforting purrs, they didn’t seem to be working anyway. They certainly had never made him feel better, either, though it didn’t stop him from trying. “The best I can do is attempt to not be forgettable to you,” he finally told Cloud, still petting.

Hugging tight, Cloud almost snorted. He wasn’t going to forget him. Just wasn’t. Sephiroth was his friend. “Okay.”

Stroking his back and pressing more kisses against his face, he could feel the other trying to relax, though the clinging didn’t let up one little bit. He could actually feel the boy shaking, and he continued to pet. “I am not leaving quite yet. Still here, see?” He nuzzled his jaw a little, trying to calm.

“Kay.” He tipped his head back so he could look up at him. Sephiroth met his eyes and continued to pet, trying to make him not sad. Soaking up the attention, Cloud continued to cling, not wanting to let go. He didn’t want to be friendless again.

Well, this was not working as he had hoped. Giving up, he decided to just kiss him, because that helped distract, and perhaps if he distracted him, Cloud would not think about the fact he would be leaving for a while. It seemed to work. The smaller boy blinked, then relaxed a little under the kisses.

Sephiroth had liked kisses last time, so this was a good thing, right? Maybe he could convince him to not leave. The bigger boy held the kiss for a long time before lifting his head, studying the the smaller's face. He didn’t want him to be sad. Cloud was just looking back at him, not looking happy, but he did look a bit distracted. Enough that he had another idea even. “We should play lots before you have to go away."

Sephiroth nodded slightly, still petting. He was quiet, however, as he had no idea of where to go from here. He was sorely lacking in games.

“What do you wanna play?” He wanted to play what Sephiroth wanted to, cause then maybe Sephiroth wouldn’t go away.

“I do not really know any games that do not require boards,” he said, running his fingers back and forth over Cloud’s shoulder. He did not like not having something to play with his friend.

Humming, Cloud thought hard about it. “Mom put cards in the basket. We can play Go Fish. Does that sound like fun?”

A few blinks. Go Fish? He had never heard of anything like that.

As he asked, Cloud was already moving, digging out the cards from the basket and moving to plop back down in Sephiroth’s lap. He held up the deck to show them to him, pleased. “Cards.”

“I know what cards are,” Sephiroth said, defending himself a little bit. He knew what they were. Kinda. Carefully, he studied the cards in the boy’s hand. He had never seen any this close before. Mostly they were just things that the lab assistants played with at times.

“Go Fish. We get….” He paused to think about it. Had been a long time since he had played last. “Five, I think, and then you look at your cards and I look at mine. Then you ask me for a card that matches yours. If I got it, I give it to you, and you set it to the side. Then you get to go again till I say go fish, cause I don't have any that match, and you take a card off the pile, and then it's my turn.” He nodded. Had remembered everything, he thought.

“What do I do if I run out of cards?” Sephiroth wanted to know, trying to figure out the logistics of this game. It sounded somewhat silly and tactically unsound.

“You get more off the pile,” Cloud told him. “The game is over when we’re all out of cards and the one with the most sets win.”

Oh. Still…. “If I ask you for a card I have, and you do not, is that not bad strategy to let you know I have it?”

Strategy? Well, he could guess. “Maybe, but you gotta keep track, and sometimes, when you draw, it gives you the card, and then I don’t know no more.”

“Ah. I suppose it seems simple enough, then.”

That was a good reaction, right? After deciding it was, Cloud offered him the deck with a bright grin. Now they could play a game, and that was a good thing. It took a moment before Sephiroth took the cards, but he only looked at the deck for a moment before giving Cloud the first five off the top, taking the next five for himself.

Squirming around in Sephiroth’s lap so that other boy couldn’t see his cards so easily, Cloud studied them, looking at what he had. Letting him, Sephiroth looked at him own, then realized something. “How do we start?”

“You want me to go first?”

A nod. “That might be best.”

Cloud smiled brightly. “Kay. Do you have any fives? Now, if you do, you give me one, and if you don’t, you say go fish. That make sense?”

Instead of answering, Sephiroth gave him a five. Taking it, Cloud set it to the side with the one from his hand. Looking at his cards again, he asked the next one. “Now, do you have any fours?”

“I do not believe so.” Sephiroth paused. “Go fish?” Slightly tentative voice, as he wasn’t sure if he was doing this properly. But Cloud only nodded with a grin and a pleased sound and collected a card from the pile, adding it to his hand.

“Now your turn.”

Peering at his cards, Sephiroth picked one. “Do you have a….” He paused, puzzlement showing on his face as he tried to figure out the card. “I’m not sure if this is called a one or an A.”

“Ace.”

“Ace.” He nodded, filling the information away. “Do you have any?”

“Go fish.” Cloud bounced a bit. “Now it’s my turn again!” He waited for Sephiroth to collect a card from the deck. “Do you have any threes?”

“Ahh, no. Go fish.”

“Kay.” He got another card and waited, looking at the older boy.

They slowly eased further into the game, and, other than Sephiroth having to learn a few of the various card names during the course of the game, it went rather smoothly. The game itself wasn’t that complicated at all, it just took a few minutes at the start for them to figure out exactly how to go about it. Once that was done, they settled in and started to enjoy it. Cloud was having a blast, happy to be playing any type of game with his friend, and Sephiroth was focusing very closely on the game as not to make any mistakes. It was new, but he did want to enjoy it with Cloud.

For a few minutes, Cloud was very bouncy when he got a good run of cards, pouting only slightly when they ran out and he had to let Sephiroth go again. Finally, Sephiroth put aside the last set of cards and looked at the two piles. “How do we tell who won?”

“Who has the most cards?” Cloud said promptly, looking at both stacks.

Collecting his first, Sephiroth counted his sets, then he counted Cloud’s. “I do,” he said calmly, looking at the blond.

“Then you win. Yay!” Cloud said, still smiling happily.

Blinking slowly at the cards, Sephiroth was a bit surprised. “That is it?”

“Mmhmm,” Cloud said, then paused. Frowning a bit, he studied his friend. “Didn’t you have fun?” Had wanted him to have fun.

Sephiroth thought about it a moment, head tilting as he tried to decipher how he had felt about playing the game. Had he had fun? “Yes,” he said finally. He was sure that he had enjoyed himself. That got a bright smile from Cloud and Sephiroth had given a small smile back as he had quietly collected the cards into a pile.

“So what do you want to play now?”

Settling the cards back into the basket, Sephiroth looked at Cloud, head tilting slightly as he thought about the question. “I cannot really think of anything that might be considered playing.” He had never been asked things like this before, so it was something he had to think about.

“Oh.” Cloud paused, pondering over that. It was strange trying to think of a game to play with a second person. Most of his games were ones he played on his own. “What do you do for fun?” Maybe Sephiroth would have an idea.

A moment of quiet, and Sephiroth ran his fingers along Cloud’s jaw in something that was a pet, but also was not. “For the most part I do not.”

“Do not what?” Cloud looked at him, confused.

“Do things for fun.”

That idea was somewhat unthinkable for Cloud. Not do things for fun? He didn’t have anyone to play with and he still did things for fun. Well, they had to fix this. Settling comfortably against his friend, he started to think hard, trying to figure out what they could do for fun next.

Nuzzling at the soft hair, Sephiroth was quiet for a little bit, then let out a soft breath. “The closest I know of fun was what we did last time and things like that. That...is not quite play, though, I think.”

Cloud made a face. "Oh. That tasted weird.” Then he looked at his friend. “But you liked it, right?”

A nod. “You get used to the flavor after a while.” Simple statement of fact, then he paused some, thinking. “There is another way to do it where you would not need to taste it, but I said I would not hurt you and that likely would.” Freeing a hand from where he had ended up cuddling the boy some, he played with a lock of blond hair. “So I do not know what to do.” He did not admit things like that often, but it was all right with Cloud. He was positive of that.

“What kinda hurt?” Cloud asked finally, looking closely at Sephiroth. “Like hit with a rock hurt?” He didn’t like hurt like that.

Silver hair moved around them as Sephiroth shook his head. “Not like that, no. The burning sensation when you rub your hand too quickly over something? More like that.” It was the best way he could come up with to describe how it felt.

“Oooh,” Cloud said in understanding. “That’s not bad. Like when you wrestle and you get rug burn?” He could handle that.

It took a few moments of consideration before Sephiroth could pinpoint the analogy. “Somewhat. It can be very bad. I brought some lotion in case you had more bruising, but it could for that as well I think.” He paused. “I do not want you to hurt though, and it really can.”

“Oh. Okay.” Cloud frowned slightly, digging through his brain, looking for something else that they could play. He didn’t know the rules for many games, though, and most of those weren’t any good for two people. And he had a friend, so he had to come up with a game for two people.

With a soft breath, Sephiroth nuzzled at the pale hair again, feeling it tickle his face. “I am sorry I do not know better things to do.” He was enjoying his time with the small one, who was still very soft and wasn’t afraid of him. That was something he was enjoying a great deal.

“I don’t either,” Cloud said, leaning against him. “So even, right?” He didn’t want his friend to go away.

“You knew the card game,” Sephiroth pointed out, going back to petting Cloud’s hair. It was such unusual hair. Shrugging a bit, Cloud shifted around and dug into the basket, pulling out some sandwiches. Looking at them closely, he smiled, then offered one. The other boy took it, looking at him curiously. “I thought you enjoyed the card game,” Sephiroth unwrapped the sandwich as he spoke.

Cloud nodded. “But it’s only fun once or twice. Now we have to come up with a new game.”

Nibbling on the sandwich to try it, Sephiroth tried to think of something that they could play. Cloud did seem to like playing, so he wanted to make the boy happy. “What kind of games do you like?” If he knew what the boy liked, maybe they could go from there.

“I don’t know.” Looking at his sandwich, Cloud studied it closely, not wanting to disappoint Sephiroth. “I usually just go sploring.”

That hadn’t been his intention, and Sephiroth leaned to kiss the other’s jaw before turning his attention back to the food. It really was good food. “Did you like what we did before?” He wasn’t sure what to do, so he just had to find a solution to this.

Blinking as he looked up, Cloud shrugged again. “It was okay,” he said, nose wrinkling. “I just didn’t like the taste.” He took a bite of his own sandwich. His mom made the best sandwiches. “I’m sorry I don’t know anymore games.”

Curling the arm not holding his food around Cloud, Sephiroth nodded slightly. “I did not really care for it at first either. If you do not know any games and mine are no good, then I am not terribly sure what to do.” He did not like saying it, but it was the truth.

“If that’s the only game you know, we can play it again,” Cloud was quick to reassure him. He didn’t mean to make Sephiroth feel that he didn’t want to play with him.

The older boy eyed the younger a little. “If you do not like it, I am not going to make you.”

A blank look. “I didn’t not like it. I just through it tasted weird....” Had he said something wrong? He didn’t want to lose this friend, too.

Nuzzling at the boy, Sephiroth then nibbled on his sandwich. “If you are certain, then we can. I wanted to be sure. I know it wasn’t always fun when people did that with me, and I didn’t want you to get upset with me about it.”

A quick shake of his head, and Cloud looked at him with wide eyes. “I don’t mind, really.” He fidgeted a little. “I just want you to remember me.”

That got him confused blinking. “Why would I forget you?” Sephiroth did not understand that at all.

“I don’t know,” Cloud said softly. “But I don’t want you to.”

Quickly finishing the sandwich and brushing the crumbs away, Sephiroth nuzzled at Cloud. “You are distinctive.”

He didn’t know what that meant, but Cloud leaned into the nuzzles. “I don’t want you to go away,” he said in a soft, soft voice.

Quietly, Sephiroth squished him close. “I did not mean to get your hopes up that you would get to spend longer with me,” he said, voice soft. He really hadn’t, and it bothered him to see the blond so upset over this. Cloud didn’t say anything to him, but he did hug tighter, so Sephiroth took that as a good sign. After checking to see that the food was either gone or put down, Sephiroth hugged him more, and scattered kisses on his face. “Do not be sad. Playing, yes?”

There was an almost sniffling sound, then Cloud nodded, hugging more. “Okay,” Sephiroth told him, nuzzling and petting a little. “Then we will play.” He paused, considering it, then nodded to himself. “If I do the other, you will tell me if anything hurts, then we’ll go back to something else, yes?”

A small nod, and Cloud looked at him with wide eyes. “Kay,” he agreed.

A nod of his own, and Sephiroth relaxed. He hadn’t intended to do this, but he had felt really nice last time and he was curious, so better to make sure Cloud agreed to tell him if it hurt and now they both could expect it. Nuzzling at him more, Sephiroth hugged him again. “Are you going to chase your clothes this time too?”

Cloud shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He paused, and studied the older boy. “Do we have to be like last time?” He really did wanna keep something on. There were bugs out, and he didn’t like bug bites. He didn’t say anything else as it was obvious Sephiroth was thinking it over.

“Do you want to keep your shirt? I can take mine off and you can sit on that if you want to move.”

A slow nod. “Kay. That sound okay.”

That was a good thing. Nodding, Sephiroth took of his shirt, and shifted some to spread it out over the ground, moving so he could rest his legs on the edge of it. “Will that do?” he asked, hands already tugging some at Cloud’s lower garments. This got another nod from Cloud, who didn’t fight the tug this time, watching him with a curious expression. Pleased, Sephiroth finished tugging the pants off, and then petted his legs, leaning in to nuzzle at the boy. “You can do what you want like last time, okay?”

Smiling, Cloud gave him another hug, trying his best to wrap his arms around Sephiroth. Scattering kisses on his face, the older boy tugged him into his lap, settling him there, hand wandering up his back as he settled into nuzzling at soft skin. Then Cloud started to kiss back, which was what Sephiroth had seemed to enjoy so much last time. It seemed it was enjoyed this time too. Pleased, because this was a nice difference, Sephiroth kissed back to make it a proper kiss, hand petting along Cloud’s back.

Even though it was blurry to try to look at Sephiroth from so close, Cloud continued mimicking what he had been told to do last time. It was odd this time, cause all he could really make out where Sephiroth’s glowing eyes as the man sucked on his tongue. That felt kinda odd.

After a moment, he let the boy lick at him again, pleased. He was a messy, messy kisser, but he learned fast, and he seemed to enjoy it, so that was good. One hand still petting at his back, the other slipped up to play with that spiky hair. He still didn’t understand why his hair stood up like that. After a moment, he went back to playing with the blond’s tongue, shifting the smaller boy up some so that neither of them would have to keep up the odd kissing angle.

Cloud was pleased by that, standing a little to help. Why did he have to be so _tall_? It didn’t seem very fair. Then he moved and Cloud found himself sitting on Seph’s arm, the opposite hand holding him still. Good. No falling. Falling would hurt. Still, he thought kissing was weird all around.

Petting the boy’s back and bottom once they were both settled, Sephiroth watched his eyes, feeling the temptation to nibble on him again. Then he decided to do so, pulling off the kiss some to nibble on his lip before lifting his head entirely, studying him. When Cloud just looked back, Sephiroth shifted his hand to fan out against his bottom, and rested his middle finger so that it pressed against him, where the people who had done this to him had touched. He paused then, watching him, seeing if it bothered him at all. All he got was a curious look, and nodded to himself. Pressing his finger against him more with tiny back and forth motions, he peppered kisses on Cloud’s skin.

That got a reaction as Cloud wiggled a little. It felt funny, and he shifted, but didn’t say anything.

When the boy didn’t protest, Sephiroth paused, studying him. Wiggles weren’t really bad, and Cloud hadn’t said anything, so he put a little more pressure against him. When that only got another wiggle, he nodded to himself, pulling the hand away to dig in his pockets. He didn’t want to give the boy friction burns, and so he needed the lotion in his pocket.

Resting Cloud on his lap, Sephiroth fished the lotion out. “Remember,” he said, “tell me if I do anything that hurts so I can stop, all right?” He nuzzled against his hair, and paused to nibble at the top of his ear. “And if you want to we can go back to what we did last time instead of this, since I have not done this part before.”

“Kay,” Cloud said as he hugged his friend again. Hadn’t hurt yet, and it seemed like Sephiroth really wanted to do this. And Cloud really didn’t want his friend to forget him. He could feel Sephiroth kissing his hair again, and then there was the click of the bottle, and he turned his head to rest his cheek on Sephiroth’s chest, looking to see what he was doing.

After making sure Cloud was settled against him, Sephiroth checked over the lotion. It didn’t smell, which was good, and he oped it was as slippery as the stuff they used during the exams. Putting some on his fingers to see how oily it was, he rubbed them together. It didn’t absorb very fast, which was of the good. He put more on his fingers, then put the lotion down, moving his hand to rest back where it had been, pressing against the spot on Cloud again. Kissing soft hair, he then tilted his head enough to watch the smaller one’s expression.

“That feels funny,” Cloud said after a bit, blinking wide eyes. “But it doesn’t hurt!” His voice was hurried as he tried to make sure that he didn’t upset Sephiroth.

He nodded to that, actions slow and careful, because stopping wouldn't help, and he didn't Cloud to flail over how it felt. The boy didn't though, just shifting a little, holding still under his hands. He couldn't be entirely comfortable though, so he scattered kisses against his face as he pressed his finger in, knowing that if that didn't work, the other way just would hurt too much to try. But, since he didn't seem in any pain, that was good. He even got kisses back.

The kisses got him nibbles. "Doesn't hurt?"

"Nuh uh," shaking his head, he couldn't help but squirm some. "Feels funny, but doesn't hurt."

That got him kisses again, but that was okay. Sephiroth seemed to really like the kisses. He watched him, one hand reaching for the shiny hair, petting it, and he relaxed. It really didn't hurt. When Sephiroth moved away from the kiss to nuzzle instead, he let him, finally starting to not feel so squirmy. That was good, right?

"I have to move my pants, want to help me this time?" It was a murmur, and he kissed the boy's shoulder.

Cloud kissed his cheek back. "Kay. How?"

"Just undo them and tug them down while moving some. I'll keep you balanced with my hands."

"Kay." He eyed them, then shifted to get to them. It made for funny feelings though.

Sephiroth moved his hands, not removing, but moving, shifting some to make the process easier. The other boy wasn't really graceful at his pants, but that was okay. He worked and tugged at them to get them open, focusing and seeming to trust him not to drop him. Noticing what a little of the issue was, he moved the hand that wasn't sort of caught to keep balance, the other shifting so that Cloud could lean on it some without getting dropped. A few tugs more, and they seemed to reach an impasse, since they couldn't get them down like that.

He shifted his hold some as he lifted his hips. "Push them down instead of pulling."

"Okay." He tried that, leaning his head against him. Sephiroth helped, shifting the pants so they'd moved where he pushed. He made a pleased sound when they finally started to go. "Like that, right?"

"Mmhmm, like that." The silver haired boy tilted his head to look. "Get them far enough I can get them with my other hand when I put you back down." He watched as Cloud pushed more, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, then shifted his hands when he realized it was far enough. From there, he could sort of kick wriggle them more, and he eased Cloud back down. "I can get the rest."

Cloud nodded. "Okay." He clung to him a bit, just holding him how he could.

Sephiroth moved both hands, the one in him shifting back how he'd had it at rest before moving around as the other moved to get his pants, his knees bending closer to the blond so he could reach. Cloud's eyes stayed on him curiously, clearly wondering what happened next. He didn't answer the look yet, getting the pants off and dropping them with Cloud's. Now, the other boy was more dressed than he was. That was okay. Moving the hand on and he, he looked about to figure out where he'd dropped the lotion.

Cloud made a curious sound at that, trying to figure out what he was looking for.

He found it before he noticed the sound, it having gotten moved in his maneuvering, and he opened it as he reached around to pour a little down from just above Cloud's tailbone. Then he moved his hand to see if he couldn't get some of that to go in. Better safe than sorry.

All that got him was an eep, a twitch, and an exclamation. "Cold!"

Setting the bottle down, he moved to put his palm against the cold spot, voice contrite. "I did not think about that."

"Is okay. Just cold." Cloud settled once again under his hand.

Sephiroth nodded a little and kissed next to his lips, moving his hand some before pulling his fingers back, looking over Cloud's shoulder. Okay, lotion on his palm this time. He felt the blond's eyes on him, and sort of hoped he wasn't too worried. Prodded by that thought, he made sure there was a lot. Exams were only ever very uncomfortable, not pain pain, like what people did, so, that meant that wet things would keep it from being a problem. Then Cloud should be okay. "Remember to tell me." He shifted Cloud some so he could rub the lotion all over himself, then took a deep breath. "Because I've never been on this side before and I need to know that I'm doing it right."

Cloud just looked at him with wide eyes. "Okay."

Sephiroth nodded again and shifted around, tugging the other boy to straddle him after a moment of trying to figure out how he should go. The blond shifted a bit too, still watching him with wide, curious eyes, wondering what he was going to do. The older of the two took a deep breath, then tucked the smaller boy against his chest some, getting them all arranged. It wasn't hard to get them where they needed to go, and he met Cloud's eyes. He wanted to know if it went and hurt.

Cloud mimicked the deep breath, though didn't know why. "You okay?"

The silver haired boy nodded back, nuzzling his cheek some, then brushes kisses over his lips and cheeks. "Remember to say." The tone was quieter and firm. Then, he nudged the other boy down, concentrating on watching him and listening, even though that felt really, really different.

Cloud squirmed a bit, because that didn't feel nice at all, but wasn't quite a hurt yet. Almost....

He was trying to be careful, inching him down really slow so he had plenty of time to say if he needed to, and he drew a shaky breath. "Going limp can help."

That got a small sound, and Cloud tried that, though it was hurting some now. Sephiroth was scattering more kisses on him, watching his eyes, and being really careful not to just... drop him on him or something like that. He could feel Cloud was trying to be limp, but it must have hurt, because he whined. In turn, he froze, making an immediate questioning noise, nuzzling him to try to reassure.

"That doesn't feel good...."

He took a deep breath. "Want off?" He held perfectly still as Cloud squirmed, his breath hitching in as he let the other boy do what he felt he needed to. He just kept his eyes on his face. He needed an answer though... "Cloud?"

"Burns."

He drew a shaky inhale. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Don't know." Cloud drew small little breaths. He didn't want Sephiroth to forget about him....

Sephiroth closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against the younger boy's, hands flexing a little and he nudged just the barest bit more, seeing if that got a move or stay or anything.

Cloud just let out a breath, struggling not to whimper. Just like with the ones who tried to beat him up, only better, cause it was his friend, and he didn't want to hurt him.

He swallowed thickly and rubbed his cheek against him, hearing something in that. "I am hurting you." It was a murmur, and he lifted his head on another shaky inhale. "We'll stop." He had to force himself, but he started to tug Cloud up.

"Just big...." Sephiroth rested their foreheads together and opened his eyes, drawing to another pause with a shiver. Cloud kissed his cheek. The longer they were like this, the less it hurt.

"I cannot really change that." It was a bare murmur.

"It hurts less now."

The silver haired boy took another deep breath and flexed his hands. "Certain?" He got a nod. Watching the smaller boy steadily, he nudged him back downwards. He wasn't sure what he was thinking, but the other boy shivered. "Cloud?" He was still murmuring, and he didn't stop his careful push down.

"Yeah?" Cloud's voice was soft.

"Do you want to stop doing this?"

"Does it give the nice feelings, too?"

"I'm trying not to notice or I know I'll make it hurt, it's nice on this side."

Cloud gave him a small smile, trying really hard not to let it hurt. "Don't wanna stop."

"If you're certain." He drew a deep quick breath and swallowed thickly, pressing more kisses as he pressed Cloud down, forcing the rest of himself to be still.

Hurts, hurts, hurts, but Cloud just tightens his jaw, like he would do with the other kids, not going to show it, and this is better than that, cause Sephiroth is his friend, and he didn't _want_ to hurt him. Sephiroth was petting his back and hair, not moving him anymore, and he nuzzled at his temple, leaving kisses there and on his cheek. It didn't help so much. He still had his eyes scrunched up tight, and was taking little tiny breaths while he shivered. Oh, that _hurt_ , and he tried to focus on how other people hurt him more.

Sephiroth was trying to get him to untense, nuzzling at him more, and his voice was just a little murmur. "I should have stopped."

"Is okay." It was slowly, slowly, sloooowly not hurting so bad. Sephiroth shook his head at him, but didn't move. Which was good. He laid his head against his chest and just breathed. It wasn't as bad as he thought it was, it really isn't. Nope, not at all.

He was quivering with the tension of holding still under the smaller boy, but never ever had anyone just stopped and let him try to make it feel better, so he would, and he continued to hold still, trying really hard to stay still while he petted and rubbed Cloud's back.

And Cloud slowly, slowly, finally relaxed. "Kay."

He almost missed him saying anything though, having gotten a bit meditative, keeping his breath quick and even, so the word didn't immediately make any sense. He made a questioning sound, and the other boy moved a little on him. This time, the sound he made was a little startled, and he snapped all his attention back to the other boy. Cloud was looking at him and moved again. It made him shiver harder than the little quivers he'd already had going. He couldn't quite stop himself from moving a bit under the boy either, meeting his eyes with lidded ones.

Cloud decided that it was okay, not so bad. It hurt, but less than getting the bruise the other day. Sephiroth was right, more burn. The other boy kneaded at his lower back and moved more, starting back up with the nuzzling and kissing, and he just continued to shiver, keeping his breath short and steady. When Sephiroth started to pet his hair and back, starting with a little rocking motion, and nibbling, he rubbed his face against his chest.

The noise that got was something between pleased and a question, but he didn't answer, just letting the other boy move him. He just focused on rubbing his face against him, like he did with Mom when it hurt really bad.

Sephiroth purred softly at him and knew he wouldn't take very long at all, because it really, really does feel good, and he doesn't want to hurt him more than he already had. He could feel Cloud shivering even when he petted back. So, he just continued to move, and hugged his arm around him, pressing kisses to his hair and then squishing him close on a low noise. It was a lot faster hitting his edge this time than last time, but at least this time he didn't have to worry about accidentally choking him. So he just pressed him close instead.


	2. Chapter 2

Cloud hugged him back, hiding his face against his chest. Shivering, Sephiroth just pressed him against him until he could move, then started petting and leaving kisses, rubbing his cheek against his hair. He heard the small hitching breaths, still feeling the smaller boy rubbing his face against his chest. Petting his back and hugging him some more, he started to carefully ease him up and off.

Cloud hissed. "Stings...."

"I know." Sephiroth tugged him up all the way, then sat him back down so he was resting against him instead of on it, and he went back to his petting.

The smaller boy hugged more. "Did you like it?" His voice was soft, and he rubbed his face against him again.

In turn, the silver haired boy nodded a little and hugged him back. "But I would have more if you weren't hurting."

"It didn't hurt so bad at the end." He was getting used to it, he thought.

Sephiroth nodded a little more and petted his back, then tipped his head to kiss him, studying his face. "That's good." Cloud sniffed just a bit and hugged tighter. The action prompted him to tighten his arm a little and pet his hair. "I will not tell you not to cry if I gave you cause to." He looked down to make sure he didn't make him bleed, because that would be even worse. He knew it was a bad bad idea.

Cloud shook his head. "Hurts less than rocks."

That prompted him to look back at the smaller boy's face, and he shook his head a little. "I still made it uncomfortable for you." He petted his neck and let out a soft breath. That got the blond to hug him. So he gave him kisses. "Was that any fun for you at all?"

"It felt funny at first."

"When I was doing hands?"

"That didn't hurt. It just felt funny."

He nodded and let out a little breath. "I should have stayed to that then."

Cloud hugged him. "You were just bigger than fingers."

Sephiroth nuzzled back and sighed, pressing kisses. "I know. I did not do too horribly then. It only burns some?"

He nodded, focusing on that more than anything else. He felt Sephiroth touch his butt, then lift his hand away and he turned his head to see him looking at it. There wasn't really anything there except the sticky. Then the other boy nuzzled his hair. "Not going to forget me right?"

Sephiroth shook his head slightly and relaxed. Yes, there was a little pink on his hand, but not much in the way of any blood blood. Kissing over the other boy's cheek and jaw one one side, he looked at his face. "You would be very hard to forget."

The blond gave a small smile. "Good. Don't want you to forget me."

He dropped a kiss on his lips and then pet his hair. "Do not forget me either?"

Cloud shook his head. "Won't. My friend."

Sephiroth nodded slightly and kissed his hair, then cheek, petting his back. "I will not take all the treats left." He nodded slightly, then debated. He would get in trouble if they saw but... he knew he wouldn't get to come out here again as it was, since he'd been told they were leaving soon. So, he collected his own pants and started to clean Cloud up, because he didn't need to get in trouble later too for being a mess.

Cloud shifted, cause that felt a bit ow as well. "But I gave them to you...."

"May I share one with you then?" The tone was curious instead of arguing, since he didn't really know the protocol of gifts, and he carefully got everything off of his skin, then folded the pants a little and rested them under him. There, that would take care of that.

Cloud nodded slowly. "So I didn't do it wrong?" He wasn't sure if he had played the game wrong, and that's why he didn't want the treats.

"Oh no, no no. You did better than I did." Sephiroth nodded a little, very firmly.

"You sure?" He looked at him with hesitant eyes. "You had fun?"

Sephiroth nodded and smiled a little, dipping his head to scatter kisses. "Yes. I just had hoped you would too, and I made it hard for you to."

Cloud kissed his cheek. The silver haired boy nuzzled back, then shifted to pull the basket over and look in to see what was left. Cloud kept on hugging, wanting him to be happy.

"Are you going to be in trouble when you go home?" He looked back at him and petted his cheek.

"Why?"

"Because you got hurt." He paused, then kissed his nose.

"Been hurt lots more before." Cloud hugged him again.

Sephiroth nodded slightly and hugged him, then fished out one of the tarts left in the basket, taking a bite before offering it to Cloud. That got a little smile before the other boy took a bite as well. He decided that would work very well, and he shared bites with the blond between his own nibbles. Now he didn't feel like he was being rewarded for hurting him.

After a little bit of eating, Cloud spoke up again. "You still want to be my friend, right? Even if I got hurt?"

The questions got a blink and a surprised look. "Of course."

Cloud just nodded. "Kay."

Not sure what to do with that, Sephiroth scattered more kisses. "Next time I see you, I will try much harder not to hurt. With luck it will not be years, yes?"

Cloud frowned again at the reminder. "Don't want you to go away.... Can I come with you?"

The silver haired boy blinked, then stopped to consider it. "I do not think you would like it very much."

Cloud realized he didn't want him to go along. "Oh." Softly spoken. "Okay."

"They do many things that hurt." Sephiroth nodded slightly, then kissed his cheek. "It was bad enough of me to hurt you."

"Didn't hurt that bad." It wasn't exactly true, but he didn't want him to go away.

He petted the smaller boy's hair and considered a little. "I do not know that they would let you tell your mother."

"Oh." Cloud couldn't not tell Mom.

The older boy played with the younger's hair some. "They are not nice people." He shook his head.

"Why do you stay with them?"

A blink. "I have to."

"Why?"

"I was never given a choice about it."

"Oh. Why?"

"Why would I be?" Sephiroth tilted his head.

"I dunno. You don't sound like you like it there."

"Well no, but it is my life."

"That sucks."

Sephiroth gave him a puzzled look. "How would it do that?"

"It's not fair. Shouldn't go someplace it hurts."

"I am used to it Cloud." He tried petting Cloud's hair.

Cloud scowled and hugged him. "You're my friend. Supposed to keep people from hurting you. Should go kick them."

Sephiroth blinked and petted him more. "I do not think they would really let you do that." Cloud scowled again. "It's true."

The blond huffed. "Should make them stop. You're big."

"Not that big." He tilted his head. Cloud eyed him. "....Yes?"

"Are too."

"There are many people bigger than I am."

Cloud huffed again, then hugged even more. "Still not nice for them to hurt you."

"Well, no, but I accept it." He continued to pet. "I would not like them to do that to you." When Cloud hid his face against him, he made a curious noise, hand moving to his back instead.

"Don't want you to be hurt."

"It is the way things are Cloud." Sephiroth blinked at him.

"Still stupid."

Unable to come up with an answer, he sighed, getting squeezed for it. He continued to pet. "There is still a treat left."

"Kay."

Eyeing him, Sephiroth offered the first bite, which Cloud took with a smile. That was good. Relaxing, he nibbled on it before setting about sharing that one the way he shared the first, Cloud clinging to him the whole time. When they finished, he used his fingers to clean crumbs off Cloud's face.

Cloud held still to let him. "What do you want to do now?"

Sephiroth returned to petting once the crumbs were off him. "The only thing that I can think of now is seeing where you like to be."

"You want to go exploring?"

"If it would not be too uncomfortable for you?"

"Be okay." He moved to see how bad it felt.

Sephiroth nodded a little. "Would you like help up?" At the tiny nod, he lifted the boy carefully to his feet via his sides. He noticed the uncomfortable look on the boy's face, and watched him intently as he eased off his hold.

Cloud shifted in place. "Kay."

The silver haired boy relaxed then, offering his pants. "Want help with these too?"

"Thank you."

That got a blink as he shifted his hold so Cloud could step in. "What for?"

Cloud blinked back. "Cause you handed me my pants."

"Oh. You are welcome."

Cloud got the pants on, not sure if he liked some of the movements. Sephiroth just watched him, then went to get dressed and wiped off too, though he was giving his pants an odd look. He just stood and waited for the older boy to be done.

Finally, Sephiroth finished getting dressed, pulling both shirt and pants on. "We can just sit if it hurts too much to move around here still."

Cloud fidgeted. "Wanna play more before you go away."

Sephiroth moved down so he was on his knees and gave him a nice solid kiss. "Then we will."

Cloud felt still, but grabbed his hand and gave him a tug. "What do you wanna go see?"

Getting to his feet, Sephiroth collected the basket. "Where do you usually go?"

Cloud pondered this. "Can show you neat things in the mountains. Um... can you run really fast?"

Sephiroth blinked in turn, peering at him. "Of course."

"Cool. There are dragons. And wolves."

Another blink, then he nodded. "I will take your advice on the matter then."

Cloud limped a little as he walked, trying to make it go away so he could move normally, and grabs Sephiroth's hand to tug him along. "Come on. There's neat things I could show you."

Sephiroth let the smaller boy lead, steps shortened so the other boy didn't have to speed up if he didn't need to. Cloud in turn just tugged him along, going for where he saw that reaaally big bird's nest. From there, they continued on, Sephiroth looking around the area, as he didn't know it, and Cloud pointing out some neat things, though not as many as he wanted. It was a lot more distracting to climb around with the achy/burning feel, so he couldn't reach to show some things.

Having been looking where told, he only hesitated a little before picking up the blond on a more obvious pained twitch. "Just point me where to go."

Cloud was surprised, but this worked. "Kay." He pointed. "That way."

Sephiroth obligingly headed off the appropriate direction. "You come all the way out here?"

The blond nodded. "I... don't play with others much."

"I believe you might have mentioned that before."

"So I go roaming lots." He nodded. "See, aren't those rocks cool? They're all shiny."

"You like shiny things?" Sephiroth went to look closer at the rocks.

Cloud nodded. "Shiny is kinda cool." He pointed. "See, that looks kinda like your hair."

He looked where he was being pointed and hummed out a little amused noise. "You like my hair?"

"Mmhmm. It's nice."

Sephiroth padded around the rocks and studied them, petting Cloud with the hand of the arm he had the basket hooked over. "Nice of you."

He blinked at him, then took a little of his hair and held it next to the rock. "See?"

An amused noise was the answer. "Yes."

"Shiny."

He matched a rock. Okay, that wasn't all that bad really. "That is good I take it?"

"Mmhmm. It's pretty."

Sephiroth collected one of the pieces of shiny rock and put it in the basket. Cloud then smiled brightly and directed him off someone new.

"Got to be reaaaaally careful, cause there are dragons out here."

He made sure to lighten his steps. "Are they quiet?"

"No. But they're _fast_ , but the coolest thing is this way."

Sephiroth nodded. "I'll be sure to avoid them if one comes towards us." He let the pointing direct him, Cloud holding onto him and looking around while he petted the boy back.

Finally, Cloud found what he was looking for. "There!" He pointed to the cave. "We got to go in there." He eyed him then. "You should fit if you're careful." The entrance wasn't at all big.

Seeing the cave, having just passed it, he circled back and gave it the eye. "I suppose I'll be setting you down then."

Cloud nodded. "It gets bigger inside. And there's light."

He set the smaller boy down and crouched to look inside. "Go ahead and lead?"

Cloud crawled in then, looking for the green that would catch his eye. He heard Sephiroth following, and just continued to where it got taller inside, standing up, waiting for the older boy to catch up to him. Sephiroth sat up and handed him the basket when he got there, looking around.

That wasn't where he was going though. "That way." He pointed towards one of the other tunnels, then started to limp his way that direction, Sephiroth sort of crawling behind. He led the way slowly, finally seeing the glimmer of green he'd been looking for. "There it is." His voice was soft.

Sephiroth reached him, crab walking over to look at what he'd been led to. The tunnel was larger, the glow brighter, so he dared get to a more comfortable moving position. The smaller tunnels hadn't been any good for it.

Cloud continued towards the glow, limping over and kinda sitting, though it didn't feel good at all, by the little bitty pool of green stuff. "It's really nice to sit here. Real quiet and stuff." He kept his voice low.

Sephiroth paused, then cautiously inched over to peer into the little pool of green, seeing the little sparks flying up from it. "You come here a lot?" He reached to brush his fingers across the surface of the pool, because it looked almost like Mako.

Cloud nodded a little. "Yeah." Then he tugged him to sit.

The older boy didn't resist. "It looks familiar."

Cloud moved so he could lean on him, eyes half closed as he watched the move and flow of the green. "It's nice to watch. it makes me feel better, not so unhappy, when I do."

He petted the boy's side. "It's good you found it then." Reaching out the other hand, he poked at the green, it flowing around his fingers and sparking up even more. The sensation though, went from really warm on his fingers to almost burning after a few moments, and he drew his hand back with a little sharp breath, looking at his hand as the bit of liquid sank into his skin. It didn't really look burned though, not at all.

"You okay?" Cloud looked at him, eyes gone a little wide. He didn't want him to get hurt.

"Yes... It's like mako.... But it isn't." He leaned over to look more closely as he tried to remember if he had been told anything aside from that materia was like a form of mako.

"Mako's what the reactor gets, right?"

Sephiroth nodded a little, reaching to touch again. Maybe...? "Lifestream. I heard of that before too. Maybe this is some?"

Cloud watched closely this time, seeing what it would do.

Sephiroth pressed his palm against it, noting the odd familiar feel. It was very bright too. He felt Cloud hug him. Shivering a little, he submerged his hand, too curious to just quit, even if that stung something fierce. Especially considering the recent tests that had just gotten finished. He vaguely heard Cloud's curious sound. Still, he could tell it was reacting oddly with the mako, not a lot, but enough that he could feel it, and it took him a minute to realize he'd been leaning towards it, at which point he stopped, shaking his head a little. "I should likely stop touching it."

"Okay?"

Sephiroth pulled his hand back after another moment and just took a deep breath. "Yes, yes I am fine." That got a tight squeeze from the blond, and he looked to him, petting his hair. "It just feels very strange."

Cloud nodded a bit. "Do... you want to leave?"

"No, not at all. I should just... stop touching it." He rubbed his fingers together and sat back.

Cloud leaned on him more. "It's nice to watch."

Sephiroth put both arms around Cloud at that point so he didn't touch it again. After a few beats, Cloud crawled into his lap, causing a moment of blinking, but he just dipped his head to nuzzle his hair. He only petted a little before settling back into the hug to watch the green, feeling Cloud relax against him.

The older boy closed his eyes and let the sense of comfort lull, only opening them again when he felt Cloud nestle in closer so he could look at him, studying his face.

It earned him a smile. "Do you feel better?"

Cloud nodded, cause he did, even though it was still achy in a way. But, the hurt was gone.

Sephiroth accepted that answer and petted his fingers through his hair, nuzzling at it. "That is a good thing." A moment later he felt his hair caught in the other boy's fingers, and he blinked, then just tilted his hair so that a silver cascade fell on the boy.

Cloud giggled. "That tickles."

He shook his head a little and peered into his face. "It does hmm?"

Another giggle and a nod was the answer.

In turn, he shook his head again, a smile crossing his face too. Cloud retaliated by poking him in the stomach, giggles getting louder. Since he couldn't have that, he shifted so _all_ his hair would land on the boy, feeling more giggly pokes for his troubles. Finally, he murred at him, smile not leaving him.

Cloud seemed to have a little trouble talking around the giggles. "Stop it..." That hair was everywhere!

Sephiroth dipped his head a little to peer into his eyes. "Hmm, but it's just everywhere."

That only got Cloud to curl into a ball and hide his face against him, giggling madly. Arching an eyebrow at the tactic, he shook his head back and forth on purpose. The giggles got worse.

He only did a little more of that before using his arm to free the smaller boy of his hair. "Hmmmm, are you getting enough air?" Cloud's answer was more giggles and a bit of gasping for air. Which was a no. Flicking his hair back behind him, he rubbed the smaller boy's back, waiting for him to reach coherent levels. He continued to giggle, though the gasping finally tapered off. He played with the blond's hair while he waited. "Can you talk yet?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah..."

He petted the boy's side and nuzzled him a little. "I do not believe I'm ticklish."

That got a tongue stuck out at him. When he blinked, Cloud turned to a funny face instead. "Not fair."

"I do not know how to make myself ticklish." He poked his nose. "Just what are you doing to your face?"

"I'm making a face." Cloud blinked at him.

Sephiroth blinked back. "I noticed."

"It's supposed to be funny."

"Oh." Sephiroth leaned down and licked his cheek before sitting up a little again with just a tiny quirk of his smile. "I will be keeping that in mind then." Cloud licked back. The older boy nosed him in turn on an amused sound, which got a hug. He returned it. "You are happy again."

And Cloud was back to blinking. "Huh?"

"That's good."

Cloud snuggled in. "Kay." Sephiroth petted his back more. "Are you happy?"

The silver haired boy paused to think. "I've enjoyed my time with you."

The blond smiled brightly. "That's good."

Sephiroth nuzzled at him, hugging him close against his chest. He didn't really wish to mention that they should be on their way back, but he knew he needed to. The hug got his cheek a kiss, so he returned it with a faint smile, then nuzzled his face into his hair. "I have to go soon." He got a sad sound back. "And I think it might be a very long time before I can come back." He petted his back, squeezing the boy again.

"Can't you stay? We can hide here, and then Mom can take care of you. I know she will."

"I would get you both in trouble."

Cloud moved to give him a sad look.

He petted his hair in turn. "You really want me to try though?" At the nod, he fidgeted with his hair a little before giving a faint nod. "We can ask her I suppose, but they'll come looking for me probably, they don't like not knowing where I am."

Cloud smiled brightly. "Then we should hurry, before they come looking, right?"

Sephiroth gave a small nod, and he petted a bit more before nudging him to get off his lap. "If they are not already. This might not work, you realize this, yes?"

Cloud quieted. "If you don't want to..."

"I do not really want to go back... but I do not have the faith you do that this will go a you wish it to."

The blond boy nodded. "Fine."

This time Sephiroth quieted and he kissed his cheeks. "In either case, we should go. I already... well, we need to go." He petted his fingers through the smaller boy's hair. "I will see you again eventually, I promise."

Cloud gave him a desperate hug, then headed for the entrance. He heard Sephiroth sigh behind him, and he heard the basket get picked up. "I know a short cut back." His voice was soft.

He paused near the entrance and reached to pet his side. "You are the one leading out there." Cloud only nodded quietly and crawled out. Following, Sephiroth collected the smaller boy and hugged him against his chest, rubbing his cheek against his hair. "I did not mean to make you sad."

"You want to go away." Cloud pointed the way they needed to go, eyes downcast.

Sephiroth, however, paused, blinking, before tightening his grip and shaking his head. "Not at all. My visits with you are the nicest things I've done."

Cloud just sniffled and pointed again. "Gonna be late."

The silver haired boy nuzzled his hair and started to walk. "I'm already going to be in trouble."

The blond drooped even more. "Shouldn't gone exploring?"

He tightened his arms. "I wanted to."

"Now you're in trouble."

"I knew I'd be in trouble before you suggested it." He nuzzled more, listening and watching his step. Cloud fell quiet then, just pointing. Sephiroth slowed his steps. "You aren't going to try to forget me now are you?"

Cloud shook his head. "Nuhuh."

Sephiroth gave him a tight hug, forgetting that the boy wasn't as sturdy as he was. It got the other boy to grunt. Rubbing his cheek against Cloud's hair, he took a deep breath. "Good. I don't want you to forget me." He got a hug back, but it was a little flimsy. At that point, he realized Cloud likely wasn't getting enough air, and he eased his hold, hearing a gasp as the arms on him tightened. He finally resumed walking the way they'd been going. "Cloud, is that all your name?"

"Cloud Strife."

"I will remember. If you are no longer here when I come back, I will ask after you." He nuzzled again.

Cloud hid his face against him, highly upset. He felt the hug, and the motions of Sephiroth walking. He wasn't happy at all. Sephiroth was his friend. He wasn't supposed to be leaving. He felt a few things, motions of Sephiroth picking things up and putting things down, then he used both arms to hug him again, nuzzling his hair. He sniffed. He's a big kid, won't cry. He tightened his hug. "Don't want you to go."

Sephiroth lifted the boy a little higher and tucked his arm tight around him, tipping his face with the other. "I will not forget that."

Cloud looked at him with teary eyes, and the older boy pressed a soft kiss against his lips, petting his hair again. It only made him sniffle more. He was nuzzled, then Sephiroth moved to put him down. At that point, all he could do was cling.

The silver haired boy let out a soft breath, crouching, and gently pried the small fingers away. "I _am_ sorry Cloud."

Cloud made a soft noise and let go. He landed with another small sound, that had hurt, and he started to limp off as fast as he could.

Realizing he hadn't even grabbed the basket, he collected it and caught up to the smaller boy, catching him so he could hand it to him. "Please do not be too angry with me." He released the boy once the basket was taken.

The blond didn't linger, just starting to limp off again. "Wanted you to stay." It was a low mumble.

"So did I." Sephiroth took a few steps back, then turned to head back to the labs.

Cloud dragged a hand across his eyes and kept going, ignoring the tears.

He just ducked his head and braced himself, already aware he did several things he wasn't allowed to. He was going to be in so much trouble for this, but there was no help for that. And at least he didn't leave the other boy wondering what had happened to him...

Once he was a bit away, and couldn't hear Sephiroth anywhere around anymore, he kicked a tree a lot and just ignored the fact that he had tears running down his face. It wasn't fair. Not fair at all.  



End file.
